1 Peter 2:11-12 (MSG)Friends, this world is not your home, so don’t make yourselves cozy in it. Don’t indulge your ego at the expense of your soul. Live an exemplary life among the natives so that your actions will refute their prejudices. Then they’ll be won over to God’s side and be there to join in the celebration when he arrives.

I learned a new word this month – attestation – which can be read as a confirmation or testimony.

This new word came in the form of part of a condition the Canadian Gov’t has imposed on us as an organization requesting funding to hire a number of students under the Canadian Summer Job (CSJ) program.

Immanuel CRC has participated in this program over the past few years with us hiring up to 3 students to work with our staff to support graphic arts work and assisting Christene Cousins and the Gospel Arts Camp. This CSJ program paid for work these students did. We were hoping to hire up to 4 student this coming summer, when we were advised that as part of the application process, the executives of the organization would have to sign an Attestation for the application to proceed.

The Attestation is as follows:

To be eligible for the Summer Jobs program a Christian charity must now “attest” that:

“Both the job and the organization’s core mandate respect individual human rights in Canada, including the values underlying the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms as well as other rights. These include reproductive rights, and the right to be free from discrimination on the basis of sex, religion, race, national or ethnic origin, colour, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression.”

On its surface and a quick read it appears a positive statement to affirm. But the history of what caused this statement and the restrictions it imposes on the application process is anything but.

Articles like the one in the Global News – indicate that this Attestation is aimed at any organization that has anti-abortion positions.

When the Government mandate becomes a public statement. The Response of our Community of Believers (Immanuel CRC) becomes public as well.

At this month’s Executive Council meeting it was decided that we would proceed to fill out the applications for Canadian Summer Job program as we have done in previous years. However, we would not sign the Attestation form.

We will also advise our local federal MPs; Immanuel’s history of history of hiring Summer students in the past and that we would like to continue to do so, but without the Attestation.

If you wish to be involved, there are petitions on the Campaign for Life website as well as the Canadian Council of Christian Charities website. You can also advise your Federal MP how you feel.